Oman: Entry visas alloted to foreign nationals by type (residence/visit), purpose (employment, family reunion, etc.) and sector of employment of visa holder (public/private) (2009)

Type/ purpose of visa	2009
Type/ purpose of visa	Public	Private	Total
Employment visa	10,309	313,066	323,375
without family	6,370	264,992	271,362
with family	1	51	52
Family joining reunion)	1,184	3,852	5,036
Domestic servant	2,754	44,171	46,925
Visit visas	12,142	80,862	93,004
Family	5,303	54,365	59,668
Business Visa	7	5,722	5,729
Tourist	3	20,747	20,750
Government	6,829	28	6,857
Business visas	12	191	203

Source: Royal Oman Police
ANNEXED NOTE

1. Technical Notes and Definitions

The Directorate General of Passports and Residence of the Royal Oman Police is responsible for issuing passports for Omanis and granting visas to foreigners wishing to enter the Sultanate. It is also involved in regulating and monitoring the entry and exit of people to and from Oman at border checkpoints.
The office also monitors the number of expatriates living in the country in accordance with policies set by the state.
Visas are granted at the request of an Omani sponsor and on his responsibility.
The employment visa is granted at the request of a local sponsor and on his responsibility to the foreigner coming to Oman for employment and whose age is not below 21.
The family joining Visa is granted to the wife of the foreigner, who is resident in Oman, and as well to his children who are below 21 years. It is also granted to the foreign wife of an Omani national at his request, and subject to a certificate from the concerned authority (Ministry of Interior) confirming the status of the marriage.
The family Visa is granted by the concerned authority at its discretion, and at the request of a local sponsor and on his responsibility, to the relatives of the Omani national and the relatives of the foreigner who are not included in the categories eligible for Family Joining Visa.
Employment visas are valid for 2 years.
Visit visas are valid for 3 months.

2. Institution which provides data

National Center for Statistics and Information (NCSI)

3. Data availability

The present data is published in 2011′ Statistical Yearbook, section “Social Services and Security”, available online on NSCI’s website. Each thematic section is presented in PDF format.
The “Social Services” section is available at:
http://www.ncsi.gov.om/NCSI_website/book/SYB2011/20-SocialServices.pdf
2011′ SYB is available at:
http://www.ncsi.gov.om/NCSI_website/book/SYB2011/index.htm

Date of access: December 2014.